If Today You Hear God’s Voice,
Harden Not Your Hearts
During the third, fourth and fifth Sundays of Lent, year A, we hear three stories from John’s gospel, to lead us to reflect on Baptism and its effects for fruitful discipleship. On this 3rd Sunday, images of water are bountiful, God is tested and we are challenged to listen to God.
Psalm 95 is a prophetic challenge. We are called to praise and worship God and then challenged to remain faithful to God. When we don’t hear God speaking to us, we conclude that God is silent. The psalm invites us to open our hearts and listen for God in unexpected ways.
May we be open to the gentle ways God comes to us. May we open our hearts to what God has in store for us and to trust in God’s care for us, which allows us to care for others. May we pray for softer hearts so that we may notice God in all the ways God comes to us.
Come, sing with joy to God, shout to our savior, our rock.
Enter God’s presence with praise, enter with shouting and song.
Come, bow down and worship, kneel before our Maker.
This is our God, our shepherd, we are the flock led with care.
Listen today to God’s voice:
“Harden no heart as at Meribah, on that day in the desert at Massah.
There your people tried me, though they had seen my work.”
[verses adapted from The Psalter © 1995, Archdiocese of Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications.]